College GameDay Rewind: The Year that Was and a Look Ahead to the BCS Bowls on ESPN

Guest Analysts Nick Saban and James Franklin to Join Set in Pasadena, Calif.

In a season that began August 31, 2013 with an unprecedented four hours of wall-to-wall college football discussion and analysis, College GameDay Built by The Home Depot visited 13 states and 13 schools in 15 weeks. The program expanded to three hours on ESPN (9 a.m. – noon ET), hosted 18 guest pickers and welcomed three new analysts. All of it made for yet another memorable year for college football’s longest running and most celebrated pre-game show.

From new places. GameDay ticked off three new states visited with shows from North Dakota State, University of Washington and site of the Big Ten Championship in Indianapolis. The NDSU show open was one for all time.

The Northwestern University swim team’s inspired entrance from Lake Michigan to the GameDay compound to deliver this impressive message.

Where a golf pro and a country music star posted higher game pick percentages than any other guest pickers or GameDay analysts for the year. Bubba Watson went 10-0 and country music star, Jake Owen, 9-0.

A ratings success. GameDay averaged 1,830,000 viewers for its three-hour span for a 10 percent increase over the same 9 a.m. to noon ET time period on ESPN in 2012.

In 2014, GameDay WILL BE…

Everywhere. College GameDay will be at four BCS Bowls including the national championship with an array of analysts and reporters to cover all the players, teams, coaches and news of college football’s season finale. In addition, Alabama coach Nick Saban will join the GameDay set as a guest analyst on Monday, Jan. 6, in Pasadena, Calif., and Vanderbilt coach James Franklin also will join the set earlier in the day as a guest analyst for SportsCenter and College Football Live.

Comprehensive. Chris Fowler will lead ESPN’s presence from Pasadena, Calif., with hosts Rece Davis, John Saunders and Joe Tessitore. College GameDay analysts Corso, Herbstreit, Howard, and Pollack will be joined by Brian Griese, Jesse Palmer, Todd McShay, Lou Holtz, and Mark May. Reporter Heather Cox will cover Florida State while Tom Rinaldi reports from Auburn’s camp. Also contributing will be Gene Wojciechowski, Scott Van Pelt, Paul Finebaum, Samantha Ponder and George Whitfield.

Complete Coverage

Studio coverage will include SportsCenter, College Football Daily, College Football Live and College GameDay Built By The Home Depot beginning Wednesday, Jan. 1 from the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO followed the next day with live coverage from the Allstate Sugar Bowl, and then, the Discover Orange Bowl on Friday, Jan. 3. Monday, Jan. 6, beginning at 9 a.m., ESPN and ESPNU will combine for six hours of live coverage leading into the VIZIO BCS National Championship at 8 p.m. The complete schedules: